A TEENAGE girl received hospital treatment after a surgical needle was thrown and hit her in the back while out with friends.

The fear is the needle had come from drug addicts shooting up in an abandoned factory unit.

The 13-year-old, Sophia Doucet, was with a group of pals at around 6pm on Sunday July 2, walking past the derelict building off Trinity Vicarage Lane in Hinckley.

Sophia, who lives with her mum Claudine and three siblings, felt something sharp hit her back.

Her shocked friends spotted a needle had punctured her skin and one grabbed it in a panic and threw it to the ground before they ran off.

It is not known what, if anything, was in, or had been in the syringe. When the dad of one of Sophia’s friends returned to the scene later it had disappeared and anyone who may have been hiding in the old factory had gone.

Sophia was taken to hospital and subjected to blood tests and given medication. She will have to return for further checks.

Now her mum Claudine, who reported the incident to the police, is urging others to be wary of the area.

She is concerned the needle may have been used and then targeted at her daughter by drug users gathering in the dilapidated factory.

Claudine said: “I’m just horrified anyone would do something like this, the risk factor is horrendous. You don’t know if there was someone with HIV in there. It makes me feel sick to think about it.

“No one wants that sort of thing going on right in the town centre and you don’t want to be scared to walk past places.”

A derelict former factory on Trinity Vicarage Road in Hinckley

The 34-year-old said her daughter had obviously been upset by the episode but was putting on a brave face.

“Her back is really sore, I think she is just shocked by the whole thing.”

Leicestershire Police are investigating. A spokesman said; “We received a call at around 6.45pm on Sunday July 2 from a woman who reported her daughter had a needle thrown at her. We are investigating and have made an appointment for an officer to visit.

“The incident happened near to the old leisure centre where there is a derelict building. Our enquiries are continuing.”

An enforcement notice from Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council was served on the owners of the former factory late last year.

It demanded the abandoned shell be demolished and overgrown vegetation cut back as the site was considered an eyesore.

The work was due to have taken place by April 6 but in the meantime the ownership of the land changed hands.

A council spokesman said officers had been in discussion with the new owners and a planning application for potential redevelopment was expected soon.